Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 23 July 1971:
Vol. 173. no. 3994, pp. 351 - 353
DOI: 10.1126/science.173.3994.351
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Human Auditory Attention: A Central or Peripheral Process?

Terence W. Picton 1, Steven A. Hillyard 1, Robert Galambos 1, and Maurice Schiff 1

1 Departments of Neurosciences and Surgery, University of California, La Jolla 92037

The click-evoked electrical responses of the human cochlear nerve were recorded from the external ear canal concurrently with the cortical evoked potentials from the scalp. Paying attention to the clicks during a discrimination task resulted in a highly significant enhancement of the cortical response but no change in the cochlear nerve response. Hence no evidence was obtained for the operation of a peripheral gating mechanism during attention in man.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Selective Attention to Visual Stimuli Reduces Cochlear Sensitivity in Chinchillas.
P. H. Delano, D. Elgueda, C. M. Hamame, and L. Robles (2007)
J. Neurosci. 27, 4146-4153
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Acute effects of alcohol on auditory brainstem potentials in humans.
K. Squires, N. Chu, and A Starr (1978)
Science 201, 174-176
   Abstract »    PDF »
Evoked Potential Correlates of Signal Recognition between and within Modalities.
J. M. Ford, W. T. Roth, S. J. Dirks, and B. S. Kopell (1973)
Science 181, 465-466
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)